Gordie Howe, NHL's Mr. Hockey, Dies At 88; Played Three Seasons In Hartford

Gordie Howe, NHL Hall of Famer who might be the most famous pro athlete to call Hartford home, dies at 88

When he sauntered into Connecticut in the spring of 1977, Gordie Howe was 49 years old with 29 seasons in professional hockey behind him.

Mr. Hockey skated in Hartford with his young sons, turned 50 as a member of the Whalers, and was part of the region's cultural fabric as a bona fide celebrity. Howe, who died at age 88 on Friday, always considered his time in Hartford as an ideal way to cap his unique career.

"Hartford," Gordie would tell The Courant in 1980, "was the icing on our cake."

Howe died in Ohio, where he had been living with his son Murray, who was at his side, as was his son Mark. Murray is a doctor in Toledo.

"Gordie was a great, great man and of course the greatest hockey player," said former Whalers owner Howard Baldwin. "Playing with his sons Mark and Marty in the NHL at the age of 52 will always be something no other athlete will be able to do. His impact on the city and the state was enormous, and the main reason why the Hartford Whalers are still an iconic franchise. Bringing him to Hartford and being able to say he was my friend is my proudest achievement. Now I say to the leaders in Hartford let's put a fitting statue in front of the XL Center honoring him. Like other city's have done for their heroes."

A look at the numbers produced by Gordie Howe in a remarkable pro career that spanned five decades – six if you count appearing in one game for one shift with the IHL's Detroit Vipers in 1997-98:

2,186: number of games played (1,,767 in the NHL and 419 in the WHA). His NHL games played is the...

Howe suffered a serious stroke while visiting his daughter, Cathy Purnell, in Texas in October 2014. Media reports indicated at the time that he lost some function on his right side. The stroke followed what his family termed a difficult summer in which he had surgery on his spine.

But Howe made a stunning recovery after receiving stem cell treatment in Mexico. It was considered a last-ditch effort to prolong Howe's life and Mr. Hockey was soon visible in public.

"We knew that if we didn't do anything he would be dead within a couple of weeks because he would not want to live the way he was living," Murray Howe said about his father at the time.

But on Friday, the sports world lost a legend. And Hartford lost a piece of its sports history.

Howe did indeed stabilize the Whalers, providing some credibility and star power to the World Hockey Association franchise. He paved the path to the National Hockey League merger in 1979 and spent his final NHL season in a Whalers uniform.

For a city starving for a sports identity in 1977, the arrival of the greatest player in the history of hockey was met with a collective gasp. The New England Whalers were a struggling World Hockey Association franchise still carving out a niche in Connecticut when the Howes signed free agent contracts.

Suddenly, the Whalers were relevant.

"The New England Whalers improved their hockey fortunes immeasurably Monday morning when they signed Gordie, Mark, and Marty Howe to long-term, multi-year contracts that almost assures the City of Hartford a place in the National Hockey League when — and if — there's a pro hockey merger," The Courant's Tommy Hine reported May 24, 1977.

And indeed, the Whalers did land a spot in the NHL when leagues merged in 1979. Howe and his sons had been playing for the WHA Houston Aeros and he was viewed as a cornerstone to the merger, drawing interest from the San Diego Mariners and other WHA franchises.

The Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings — Howe's former team — were also bidding. But Howe and his wife Colleen, who negotiated the contract, forged an easy rapport with Baldwin and the team secured the family with a 10-year contract.

Howe had retired in 1971, ending a 25-year NHL career in which he earned the reputation as the game's best all-round player. He was tough, he was skilled, and he was respected during a career in Detroit.

But two years later, he came out of retirement to play with his sons. He spent four years with Houston, winning two WHA titles.

When it appeared he would be either retiring or leaving after his four-year contract expired, Howe became the subject of trade rumors. WHA franchises, sensing the looming merger, were looking for marquee players. The Minnesota Fighting Saints came close to signing Bobby Orr and the Whalers chased Howe as the franchise attempted to create interest in Hartford and boost attendance before the merger.

But Howe shut down all trade talk, telling Houston's management he had never been traded before and he wasn't about to let it happen at age 48. Baldwin made an all-out push to bring the family to Connecticut.

"Once the negotiations started, he was relentless," Howe said after signing. "Hell, he wouldn't let us sleep."

The Howes were introduced at a press conference at the Hotel Sheraton's Mark Twain Room. The room was adorned with a green and white sign that read, "Hartford Welcomes The Howes."

Wrote Courant columnist Bill Lee: "Man and boy, I've worked in this city for more years than I like to count, but I've never seen a block busting press conference with the impact of the one the Whalers held at the Hotel Sheraton Monday afternoon."

Not only were the Whalers getting a Hall of Famer in Gordie, but 22-year-old Mark was viewed as future star, compared more than once to Orr. And Marty, a stay-at-home defensive defenseman, was viewed as a good player.

The buzz extended beyond the sports pages. Consider this May 27, 1977, editorial in The Courant: "In hockey lingo, a player who scores three goals in a single game has performed a hat trick. The same term could be applied to the hiring by the New England Whalers of three members of the Howe family."

A few weeks after the signing, The Courant's Colin McEnroe reported the Howes were purchasing a $225,000 home in Glastonbury. In October, Owen Canfield's lengthy profile included photos of the Howes at the their home — Gordie lifting a box as the couple unpacked, Colleen and Gordie looking at memorabilia, the couple walking near their pool.

Hartford had a celebrity and he happened to be an aging hockey player.

In 1977-78, Gordie led the Whalers in goals (34) and points (96). And he turned 50 in March of that season, just a few months after the Civic Center roof collapsed.

The Whalers would lose to Bobby Hull and the Winnipeg Jets in the Avco Cup finals in 1978 and they played their home games in Springfield the next season. But the Civic Center, now the XL Center, was repaired and enlarged just as the Whalers were moving into the NHL.

Howe scored 15 goals and skated in 80 games for the Whalers in 1979-80, fulfilling his dream of playing with his sons in the NHL. By the time he retired in 1980, he was 52 years old and was very much a fixture in Hartford.

In the fall of 1980, he opened a restaurant on New London Turnpike in Glastonbury. Gordie's Place was just down the road from the Howe's Glastonbury home and he was seen frequently at the restaurant.

In 1981, Colleen sought the Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional seat. She lost to former Hartford mayor Ann Uccello in the primary, but her foray into politics attracted some heavy hitters. A fundraiser to pay off campaign debt brought Al Kaline and Wayne Gretzky to Gordie's Place, where they chatted with donors.

The restaurant closed in 1982. That same year, The Courant reported on a rift between the family and the team, as Gordie's role in the front office was unclear and Marty was relegated to the minor leagues. Mark, whose career nearly ended when he was severely cut on the upper thigh in December 1980, was traded to the Flyers after the 1981-82 season.

Gordie and Colleen eventually moved back to Michigan, although Marty kept a home in Glastonbury. Mark, a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, played 22 professional seasons, including five with the Whalers.

Colleen died in 2009, seven years after she was diagnosed with Pick's disease. Gordie has made occasional visits to Hartford in recent years — he spoke to the Glastonbury High hockey team two years ago and was spotted at a mid-week AHL game at the XL Center in 2012, sitting with Mark, a Red Wings scout.

Gordon Howe was born March 31, 1928, in Floral, Saskatchewan, the sixth of nine children born to Albert and Katherine Howe. His family moved to Saskatoon just days after his birth and Gordie grew up in the city.

Howe began playing hockey at age 8 and was physically imposing by his teen years. At 15, he attended the New York Rangers' training camp in Winnipeg before returning to Saskatoon because he was homesick. The next year, he tried out for the Detroit Red Wings and, as the story goes, dazzled the team's brass by scoring with both a right- and left-handed shot.

What distinguished Howe, even as a teenager, was his blend of skill and strength. When he debuted at 18 on Oct. 16, 1946, Howe was a solid 200 pounds — bigger than most players of that era. And initially, it was his size and tenacity that set Howe apart.

Howe scored seven goals in 58 games as a rookie, but he threw his body around and wasn't afraid to challenge opponents with his elbow or fist. He famously tangled with the legendary Maurice "Rocket" Richard in his first game in Montreal, knocking Richard out with one punch.

In his second season, Howe scored 16 goals, and he was an All-Star in his third season. At 21, he blossomed with 35 goals and he followed with prolific seasons (43, 47, 49 goals). Skating with Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, Howe was part of the NHL's best line. The Production Line, as it was called, had skill, finesse and the toughest players in the league.

Howe would lead the NHL in scoring six times while exceeding 100 penalties in three seasons. Howe was the league Most Valuable Player six times and his 1,767 NHL games remains the most in history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, a year after his first retirement.

Howe, a 23-time NHL All-Star and still holds the record for seasons played (26). He scored 68 goals with 112 assists in 214 games in three seasons in Hartford. In 419 WHA games (Houston and Hartford) he scored 174 goals with 334 assists.

Howe is No. 1 on the Red Wings' list for goals (786) and points (1,809) and second to Steve Yzerman in assists (1,023).

He also is responsible for one of the most colorful terms in sports. A "Gordie Howe hat trick" is when a player scores a goal, an assist and gets in a fight in the same game.

"There will be thunderstorms in heaven due to its latest arrival throwing some mighty body checks," Baldwin said.

In 2011, the Howe family was honored by the Connecticut Whale — then run by Baldwin — as a banner saluting them as "Hockey's First Family" was raised to the XL rafters. Gordie signed autographs and met fans that night.